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USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13)
Encyclopedia
USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13), a Currituck-class
Currituck class seaplane tender
The Currituck class seaplane tenders were four ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. The role of a seaplane tender was to provide base facilities for squadrons of seaplanes in a similar way that an aircraft carrier does for its squadrons.The four ships of the class were:The...
seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
, was laid down on 10 April 1943 by Todd Pacific Shipyards
Todd Pacific Shipyards
Vigor Shipyards was founded in 1916 as the William H. Todd Corporation through the merger of Robins Dry Dock & Repair Company of Erie Basin, Brooklyn, New York, the Tietjen & Long Dry Dock Company of Hoboken, New Jersey, and the Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company...
, San Pedro, California. The ship was originally named Puget Sound, however it was renamed on 5 June 1944, before it was launched on 18 June 1944. Salisbury Sound was sponsored by Mrs. John D. Price, and commissioned on 26 November 1945, Capt. Doyle G. Donaho in command. She was named after the Salisbury Sound
Salisbury Sound
Salisbury Sound is a sound between the north shore of Kruzof Island and the southwestern end of Chichagof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska...
; a sound near Sitka, Alaska and until her decommissioning was affectionately referred to by her crewmembers as the "Sally Sound" .
After shakedown, Salisbury Sound departed San Diego on 12 February 1946 and commenced her first of 19 deployments to the western Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, where she served during a portion of every year from 1946 through 1966. The seaplane tender operated at Okinawa, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, and Tsingtao from March through October 1946. From April into September 1947, she voyaged Okinawa, Tsingtao, and Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
; and later, from May into September 1948, she sailed to Yokosuka, Tsingtao, and Shanghai. Upon completion of several west coast operations in 1949, she steamed to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
later that year and returned to San Diego on 13 June 1950.
On 26 July 1950, soon after North Korean forces invaded South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Salisbury Sound sailed from San Diego. After delivering cargo to Yokosuka and Okinawa, she tended planes at Iwakuni
Iwakuni, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan.On March 20, 2006, the old city of Iwakuni absorbed the towns of Kuga, Mikawa, Miwa, Nishiki, Shūtō and Yū, and the village of Hongō, all from Kuga District, to form the new, expanded city of Iwakuni.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and at Okinawa from September into December. Her planes performed reconnaissance work in the Korean area and in the Taiwan Strait
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait, formerly known as the Black Ditch, is a 180-km-wide strait separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast...
. After returning to San Diego on 31 March 1951, she sailed on 1 August, and served at Boko Ko in the Pescadores Islands, at Okinawa, and at Iwakuni, before returning to San Diego on 16 April 1952. Departing Long Beach
Long Beach Naval Shipyard
thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...
on 15 August, she again tended planes at Okinawa, before arriving at Alameda, California
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, on 25 March 1953.
From 1954 through 1966, Salisbury Sound operated frequently at Okinawa, and also at Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. She served as flagship of the Formosa Patrol Force during the evacuation of the Tachen Islands in February 1955. Effective 1 August 1963, her homeport was changed from San Francisco, California, to NAS Whidbey Island, Washington - specifically at the Seaplane Base - where she carried and tended to the P5M Marlin
P5M Marlin
|- See also :- References :NotesBibliography* Andrade, John, U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, Midland Counties Publications, 1979, ISBN 0 904597 22 9.* Barth, Bruce D., "The Martin P5M 'Marlin'". Pacific Aero Press, 1994....
. Voyaging to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, she visited Saigon from 1 to 4 June 1964. She steamed to Danang, Con Son Island
Con Son Island
Côn Sơn Island is the largest island of the Côn Đảo archipelago, off the coast of southern Vietnam. The island is also known after its Malay name as Pulo Condore , while its French variant Poulo Condor was well-known during the times of French Indochina.-Early modern era:In 1702, the British...
, and Cu Lao Cham Island in 1965, and to Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in the province of Khánh Hòa. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers / 180 miles northeast of Hồ Chí Minh City / Saigon.Cam Ranh is...
in 1966. It also took place in Operation Market Time
Operation Market Time
Operation Market Time was the United States Navy’s effort to stop troops and supplies from flowing by sea from North Vietnam to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War...
.
Decommissioned on 31 March 1967, the "Sally Sound" was transferred to the Maritime Administration
U.S. Maritime Administration
The United States Maritime Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation that maintains the National Defense Reserve Fleet as a ready source of ships for use during national emergencies, and assists the NDRF in fulfilling its role as the nation's fourth arm of...
on 3 July 1968 and entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
, Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, where she remained until sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc., of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, on 7 February 1972.
The vessel's commissioning plaque was saved and is currently onboard the museum ship USS Hazzard in Omaha, NE.
Salisbury Sound received four campaign stars for service in Vietnam.
See also
- USS Puget SoundUSS Puget SoundUSS Puget Sound has been the name of more than one ship of the United States Navy. These ships are named after Puget Sound in the state of Washington....
for other ships of the same name.
The Salisbury Sound was not in Saigon, Vietnam in June of 1964. In fact we were on a cruise visiting Alaska. I in fact got out of the Navy on August 5, 1964 while we were docked at Oak Harbor, Washington. That was probably a misprint. It probably should have read 1965 since she was apparently at other ports in Vietnam during that time period. George L. Swanson Jr., SKCS, USN (Retired)